Viva Macao

The Weekend Starts Here

Just like Starbucks, Vegas is setting up franchises left and right these days, from Reno to Dubai. What does
it mean? You just got a good reason to go to China.

The Venetian Macao, from the casino masterminds at Las Vegas Sands, opened last week as the
long-awaited centerpiece of Macao's Cotai Strip. Think Vegas, only rising from the South China Sea. With
3,400 slot machines, 3,000 suites, more than 350 shops and twice the cash-blowing square footage of its
Vegas counterpart, the Venetian Macao is the biggest casino in the world. It's your chance to rake in some
renminbi...or whatever currency is lighting you up these days.

Of course, it's not (just) size that matters. Every detail under the world's second-largest roof says
Venetian luxury. If you feel de-citrused, soak up some liqueur with the V Spa's limoncello massage. For the
romantically inclined, there's three different grand canals, and a fleet of gondolas and Chinese sampans
ready to shuttle you down the stream in style.

Then again, maybe you'd prefer the Vegas-sized arena, boasting an NBA-China national basketball tournament
next month, and a Sampras-Federer showdown in November.